Mosimane's First Bafana Call: 35-Man Squad for AFCON Qualifiers
Pitso Mosimane has wasted no time putting his stamp on Bafana Bafana.
Just days after his appointment as South Africa’s head coach, he has named a 35-man preliminary squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea, as reported by TimesLIVE. It is his first official list in charge – and it reads like both a nod to continuity and a bold glance at the future.
Pamoja opener at home
South Africa will launch their Pamoja tournament campaign with a home clash against Guinea on 26 September. The competition is jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, but Bafana start on familiar turf before heading into more awkward territory.
The second qualifier takes them “away” to Eritrea – though Eritrea will stage their home fixture in Egypt due to the lack of a suitable stadium on home soil. The travel might be different, but the stakes remain the same: early control of a qualifying group and an early test of Mosimane’s authority.
Injury blows to the old core
The new coach’s first squad comes with some enforced changes. Four players who formed part of Hugo Broos’ core group during the 2026 World Cup campaign are missing, all ruled out by injury.
Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Khuliso Mudau, Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa have not been included in the preliminary list. Under Broos, they were trusted pieces in a structure that took South Africa back to the global stage. Mosimane must now reconfigure key areas without them, at least in the short term.
Fresh faces step into the frame
Their absence has opened the door for a wave of new and returning names.
- Lebone Seema
- Tshepo Mashilane
- Jemran Dansin
- Yanela Mutuma
- Cassius Mailula
- Puso Dithejane
- Tashreeq Matthews
- Ronaldo van Niel
- Luther Singh
- Shandre Campbell
All feature among the notable inclusions. Some are long-touted prospects, others are pushing their way in on current form, but all of them now have a chance to impress a new national coach at the start of a cycle.
Brooklyn Poggenpoel and Lebohang Maboe, both left out of the final 2026 World Cup squad, have also been recalled to the wider group. For them, this is a second crack at the international stage under a different voice, a different philosophy.
Spine of experience stays put
Mosimane has not ripped everything up.
He has retained a strong core of the side that carried Bafana through recent campaigns. Captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams remains central to the plans, joined by Sipho Chaine in the goalkeeping department. At the back, Tapelo Morena, Aubrey Modiba and Nkosinathi Sibisi keep their places, preserving familiarity in defensive combinations.
In midfield, Teboho Mokoena and Sphephelo Sithole stay on as key anchors, with Relebohile Mofokeng offering creativity and thrust. Themba Zwane, still one of the most influential attacking figures in the country, is also in the squad, providing experience and guile around a new generation of attackers.
The message is clear: evolution, not revolution.
Mosimane’s first list sets the tone. Established leaders, emerging talent, and a few players back from the fringes – all thrown into the same early qualifying fire. How quickly that blend settles will shape South Africa’s path to the 2027 Afcon, and perhaps define the early chapters of his tenure.
